Silent Night Sanctuary

The temptation to kiss her overwhelmed him, and he lowered his mouth and brushed her lips with his.

She felt so dainty in his arms, so tender, and his own hunger rippled through him.

But her startled gasp made him pull back, and he cursed himself.

He was a selfish bastard. The kiss hadn’t been for her, but for him. Hearing the despair in her voice had done something to him, stirring up feelings he didn’t want to feel, especially for her.

“I’m sorry,” he said in a low voice as he backed toward the door. He couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling that he had frightened her with his kiss.

Need, hunger, the desire to soothe her—to make love to her—churned through him. Needs he couldn’t pursue.

Silent Night Sanctuary

Rita Herron

MILLS & BOON

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning author Rita Herron wrote her first book when she was twelve, but didn’t think real people grew up to be writers. Now she writes so she doesn’t have to get a real job. A former kindergarten teacher and workshop leader, she traded her storytelling for kids for romance, and writes romantic comedies and romantic suspense. She lives in Georgia with her own romance hero and three kids. She loves to hear from readers so please write her at P.O. Box 921225, Norcross, GA 30092-1225, or visit her Web site at www.ritaherron.com.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Leah Holden —A woman desperate to find her missing sister and protect the past….

Gage McDermont —A detective determined to solve the case, even if he has to expose Leah’s secrets.

Ruby Holden —An innocent seven-year-old caught in a web of lies.

Carmel Foster —She lost her child. Has she taken Ruby as a replacement?

Amos Trevett —He has a record as a child predator but claims he’s innocent. Is he lying?

Jerry McDermont —Gage’s adopted brother resented Gage. Did he hurt Leah as revenge?

Dr. Donnie Burkham —He was furious at Leah for implying he abused his son. Has he done something to Ruby to get back at Leah?

Warren Cox —A mentally challenged young man who befriends little girls. Did he kidnap Ruby?

Charlie Driscill —The deputy will do anything to enforce the bond of silence the teenagers entered into, and to keep the past forgotten.

Harry Wiggins —He was Leah’s friend. But did he protect her when he should have?

Jameson Mansfield —The town lawyer who wants to keep the past quiet—how far would he go to keep the others from talking?

Evan Rutherford —The high school football coach was a football legend in high school. Did he hurt Leah and cover it up?

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter One

The wind whipping through the paper-thin walls of Leah Holden’s North Carolina mountain cabin whistled, shrill and violent, jarring her from a deep sleep. Or had the sound been a scream?

A child’s scream…

Ruby?

Leah vaulted from her bed and raced to her seven-year-old sister’s room, praying she’d been wrong. Through the half-open door, Christmas lights from the tiny tree inside sparkled red and gold and silver.

But when she rushed inside, Ruby’s bed was empty.

“Ruby!” Her heart pounded as she scanned the interior, the dark shadows, the rumpled bedding, the closet where her sister had made a playhouse for her dolls.

No Ruby.

The curtains flapped wildly, the chill in the room sending icy fear through her.

The window was open. It had been shut when Leah had gone to bed.

Frantic, she flipped on the overhead light, her gaze landing on the teddy bear that had been slashed to pieces on Ruby’s bed. A note lay in the midst of the cotton stuffing, and nausea lurched in her stomach.

CALL THE POLICE AND THE CHILD DIES.

She screamed in terror, panic clenching her chest as a dozen horrific scenarios assaulted her. Ruby, kidnapped. Being tortured. Abused. Molested. Murdered.

The room swirled in a blinding sea of white and she gripped the edge of the brass bed, struggling not to pass out. This couldn’t be happening.

Sanctuary was supposed to be a safe little town. A haven for families—a close-knit community.

But a cold emptiness filled Ruby’s room. The sight of her Pippi Longstocking doll brought tears to Leah’s eyes. Ruby loved her Pippi doll just as Leah had loved the colorful character when she was a child. After her mother had died, Leah had moved back home to take care of Ruby, and they’d started reading the Pippi books together.

Leah’s hand trembled as she ran to the den for the phone. The message on the note echoed in her head and she hesitated. Every horrific TV-show scenario flashed through her mind.

Maybe she shouldn’t call the police.

But time was important. And how could she handle this alone?

She needed the police to issue an AMBER Alert, start searching, set up road blocks, put Ruby’s picture on the news, call the FBI…She needed them to find Ruby.

Terrified, she punched in the number. Ruby was all the family she had left. She had to find her.

THE IMAGE OF THE dead boy’s face would haunt Detective Gage McDermont for the rest of his life.

Thirteen years old and he’d been murdered on the sidewalk by a man who should have still been in jail.

All because the kid had tried to do what was right: testify against a lowlife scumbag for beating his mother to a bloody pulp.

In the end, she had died. And Rodney Kemple had walked on a damn technicality and shot the kid in the chest.

Guilt pressed against Gage’s lungs, making it impossible to breathe. He had promised Tommy Beringer that he’d protect him.

And he had failed.

So had the system Gage had sworn to uphold.

He balled his hands into fists as he waited in the chief’s office, wanting to pound something again, just like he’d pounded Kemple’s face when he’d finally caught up with him. He’d have finished the guy off if his partner hadn’t interceded and dragged him away.

The chief walked in, his granitelike face showing a mixture of anger and disdain. Gage had worked for the Raleigh Police Department for eight years, and he and Drew Hardy had almost come to blows before, but the past year things had grown even more strained. The chief seemed to be more interested in politics than catching perps, and Gage had told him so more than once.

Hadn’t gone over well with the chief.

“What in the hell were you thinking, McDermont?” A vein bulged in Hardy’s wide throat. “You nearly beat Kemple to death.”

“He deserved far worse than he got, and you know it, Chief.” Gage pushed to his feet, anger rolling off him. “He put a bullet in that kid’s chest.”

“You had him under arrest,” the chief barked. “Now we have police brutality charges to deal with and IA on our butts. Are you trying to make this department look bad?”

“You’re worried about the damn department?” Fury turned Gage’s voice to ice. “What about that poor kid? The one we promised to protect?” He struggled with the hate churning in his gut. “What about justice? When did our jobs stop being about that?”

The chief leveled him with a lethal stare. “I’m trying to see that justice is done,” he growled. “Within the law. And your actions may just enable this guy to walk.”

“He won’t walk,” Gage snapped. “We’ve got the gun with his prints on it, and Beringer’s shirt.”

Chief Hardy slammed his hand on the desk. “You’ve been walking the line for months, McDermont. But this time you went too far.”

Gage crossed his arms. “If you want an apology from me, you’re wasting your time.”

The chief’s furious stare met his. “In that case, I’m ordering you to take a voluntary leave of absence. Take some time off, get your head back on straight,” he hissed. “Hell, if you need to see a counselor, the department can set you up.”

“And if I don’t?”

His voice dropped and he leaned forward. “Then I’ll be forced to suspend you.”

Rage, frustration and disbelief rallied inside Gage like a storm ready to unfold.

His job was his life.

But he was fed up with gangs, street thugs and having to adhere to the bureaucratic BS that protected criminals’ rights and left the victims vulnerable and without justice.

And if he had it to do over again, he’d beat Kemple even worse.

“What’s it going to be, McDermont?”

Gage removed his badge from inside his leather jacket, ripped off his shoulder holster, put them both on the desk and then walked out.

All he’d ever wanted to do was be a cop.

But there were other ways to get justice. Maybe it was time he went out on his own.

RUBY HAD BEEN missing for seven days now.

Seven days of pure torture.

Tears blurred Leah’s eyes as she stared at the gifts stacked beneath the glittering tree. Christmas was three days away.

Ruby had to be home by then. The house was so empty, the silence deafening.

When she got back, they’d make sugar cookies and hot chocolate, and Ruby would squeal with delight when she discovered the games and craft sets under the tree.

And Santa was supposed to bring a kitten. Not that Ruby completely believed in Santa, but she still pretended.

Leah’s breath caught. Today the locals had called off the search teams that had combed the woods. Had essentially given Ruby up for dead.

Leah paced to the window and studied the empty backyard swing dangling in the wind. Ruby loved that swing.

But she might never sit in it again. Might never run across the yard or skip rope or climb the ancient oak to the tree house they had built together last summer.

Thunder rumbled across the gray sky, her mood as dark as the threatening storm. It was too cold for a child to survive out in those woods. Too dangerous.

Coyotes roamed the mountains, along with bears and mountain lions. And there were tales of mountain men who lived in the wild—who’d never been civilized. Strange things had happened along the Appalachian trail and in the deep recesses of the forests. People had gone missing and never been found.

Stories of cults and gypsy clans who performed strange rituals circulated. There were also rumors of ghosts haunting the area, the agonized souls of people who were killed in the battles between Native Americans and those who’d driven them from their homes during the Trail of Tears.

What if one of the animals had gotten Ruby? Or one of the mountain men? What would he do to her?

What had he already done?

Was Ruby lost somewhere, terrified and alone? Hurting or locked up in some scary place?

Was she…

No, Leah wouldn’t give up hope. She couldn’t.

But the local police hadn’t been able to find her. Not that she trusted them, especially with Charlie Driscill, a guy from her old high school, as the deputy and acting sheriff. He was following in his father’s footsteps, preparing to take over as sheriff when his dad retired soon.

She’d considered the fact that her own secrets might have played a part in Ruby’s kidnapping, that the kidnapper was someone from her past—someone from that terrible night eight years ago—but everyone in town had been questioned and supposedly had alibis.

She’d even wondered if Ruby’s father had taken her. But that was impossible. Ruby’s father didn’t even know she existed.

Had she made a mistake in calling the police? Would the kidnapper have contacted her if she hadn’t?

A sob choked her. She’d been second-guessing herself for days now, praying for a phone call or a message that someone had seen her sister. But that phone call had never come.

GAGE STARED AT THE NEWS broadcast of the update on Ruby Holden’s kidnapping, emotions rising to the surface. He still couldn’t believe there had been a kidnapping in his hometown. Not in Sanctuary.

The news clip summarized the past few days of the search and then showed the deputy sheriff, Charlie Driscill, approaching Leah Holden. He’d said, “I’m sorry, but we’re calling off the search team.” Then Leah collapsed in a fit of tears.

Seven days missing—he understood the reasoning behind calling off the search. By now, the kidnapper would have left the area.

Or the child was dead.

Every hour a child was missing lessened the chances that she would be found alive.

He watched as neighbors surrounded Leah, supporting her, and frowned.

There had been no ransom call. No word. No physical evidence except that shredded teddy bear and the note warning Leah not to call the police.

So what was the kidnapper’s motive? Was he a pedophile? Someone who’d lost a child and wanted to replace it with another? A crazy lunatic who simply saw an opportunity?

He glanced at the screen again. Leah looked so lost, so devastated….

He had to do something.

Not that he wanted to see her again after all these years, but she needed help. And a child was in danger.

The past week he’d decided to start his own private investigative firm specializing in children’s cases. In memory of Ramona Samples, the woman who’d helped him find a home with the McDermonts, he’d decided to call his agency Guardian Angel Investigations. He planned to hire other detectives to work for him, ex-cops or military men, as well as security and computer specialists. GAI would step in when the police or feds failed.

Or when a client chose not to call the police.

And he’d jump-start his agency by finding Leah’s sister.

Leah had called in the locals, but after seeing her plea on the news, he sensed she was hiding something. If she’d done something to her sister, he’d nail her ass to the wall.

But memories of Leah in high school returned and he couldn’t believe she’d hurt anyone. He’d harbored a crush on her in high school and had planned to meet her at a party once, but then she’d hooked up with his brother.

He’d never spoken to her after that day. And it had caused a rift between him and Jerry.

Maybe moving back home for a while would enable him to mend fences with Jerry. After all, Jerry had probably changed. He owned a construction company and had built neighborhoods all around Sanctuary.

Gage turned off the TV, tucked the newspaper photo of Ruby inside his bomber jacket, climbed in his Explorer and headed toward Sanctuary.

He’d find out what happened to this little girl and make the person who’d abducted her pay.

HE WATCHED Leah Holden’s house from the top of the ridge with his telephoto lens, the frigid December air biting at his neck and hands. His skin was raw, dry and chafed, but he barely noticed. Rage heated his bloodstream, making it flow thick and hot through his system.

Leah shouldn’t have called the police. He’d never expected her to, counting on her fear and cowardice to keep her quiet.

The bitch should have heeded the warning. If she had, she’d have the kid back by now, and life could go on as normal.

But no, she’d called the damn cops.

She’d be sorry she ever came back to town. Ever messed with their lives. Ever lived.

Because of her, Ruby might have to die.

Chapter Two

Shoulders tight with tension, Gage left the beltway for the curvy roads to the Blue Ridge Mountains. He’d thought he’d never return to Sanctuary—but the moment he’d seen Leah Holden in trouble, he knew he had no choice.

The roads grew more narrow and winding as the hills and ridges encroached. Thick, tall pines and evergreens covered the sloping hills, the deep recesses, the cliffs—perfect hiding places for moonshiners, meth labs, domestic violence and possible criminals. Fishers, hikers, campers and vacationers as well as locals came and went. Anyone could have been a possible suspect in a child abduction.

He wound through the heart of Sanctuary, past the town square with the park, and the local storefronts decorated for the holidays with bows, lights and wreaths. He recognized Delilah’s Diner, the drugstore which still boasted an old-fashioned soda fountain, and of course Magnolia Manor, where he’d lived for a while.

Remembering how it felt to be a lost, lonely little kid, he wondered how Ruby was holding up.

And if she was still alive.

Leaving the small downtown area, he drove past signs pointing to several rental cabins and the creek gurgling along the ridges, then turned into the entrance to the small rural development where Leah’s family had lived. It was an older subdivision which, judging from the yards filled with toys and bikes, was still home to many families.

He’d read the reports—Leah had a degree in education, and had been teaching at Sanctuary Elementary. She made a modest teacher’s salary but had no money to speak of.

Could explain why there had been no ransom request. The kidnapper hadn’t wanted money. He’d wanted Ruby.

Not a place he wanted to go…but he had to.

In spite of the fact that winter had descended, pansies bloomed around Leah’s mailbox, and a bird feeder was perched in the front yard, making the place look homey and well kept.

Holiday lights dangled from the roof with a Santa and sleigh next to the chimney, and a Christmas tree glowed through the front window.

A bicycle with a purple basket leaned against the open carport—the lack of a garage was a reminder that the home had been built forty years earlier. Hot-pink roller skates had been left in front of the bike as if the little girl had kicked them off before running inside. He parked in the drive, noticed Leah drove a small minivan, and frowned. Everything here reeked of family—a loving family.

One he’d never had. One a kid deserved.

Bracing himself to see Leah again, he strode up to the front porch and rang the bell.

A minute later, a fragile voice came from the other side of the door. “Who is it?”

“Gage McDermont, Leah. I’m here about your sister.”

The sound of locks being turned echoed from inside, and she opened the door, her eyes wide.

“Gage McDermont?” she gaped at him, obviously surprised to find him on her doorstep. “Do you know something about Ruby?”

The sight of her red-rimmed, swollen eyes and her trembling, petite frame made his stomach knot. She’d been pretty as a young girl, but she’d matured and her beauty sucker punched him.

He forced himself to refrain from pulling her into his arms to comfort her.

He’d find out what happened to her sister. But he wouldn’t get involved with Leah personally. She’d broken his heart once.

He wouldn’t let her do it again.

LEAH CLUTCHED THE TISSUE in her hands and tried to control her trembling as she stared at the man on her porch.

A man she’d thought she was in love with at age sixteen. A man who’d ditched her the night she’d gone to a party to see him.

The last man she wanted to see—or accept help from—now.

“I thought you were on the Raleigh police force,” she said, her voice shaking.

“I was.” The wind tossed his dark, curly hair across his forehead, his brown eyes so intense that something flamed low in her belly, reminding her that he’d always caused a heated reaction within her. No other man ever had.

But she wouldn’t go there again.

“I’m starting my own private detective agency.” He pointed to the foyer. “Mind if I come in?”

She swayed, dizzy with fatigue and the sudden jolt of his masculine scent invading her house. He’d been tall in high school, but now he easily cleared six feet. His shoulders had broadened and his face had filled out, dark with a five-o’clock shadow.

“Leah, I really am here to help.”

She clutched her bathrobe around her and stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter. Although she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why he’d offered to help her. They hadn’t spoken in years. “I’ll make some coffee.”

“Thanks. I could use some.”

Needing to escape and compose herself, she rushed to the kitchen but he followed her, his gaze tracking her as she measured coffee into the filter and filled the pot with water. “There’s food, too,” she said inanely. “Everyone in town has brought casseroles by, but I haven’t been hungry.”

“No, thanks. Coffee’s fine.”

She nodded. “I didn’t know you were back in town,” she said as she reached for two mugs. Did his brother know he was back?

“I just drove in.”

His husky voice sounded even deeper with age—sexier, if possible. And more dangerous.

He would ask questions just as the police had. Questions she didn’t want to answer. Questions she’d avoided for years.

But the past had nothing to do with Ruby’s kidnapping so why should she open up that wound?

Answering those questions would mean breaking the bond of silence she’d entered into almost a decade ago. A bond she’d agreed to against her will, but one she had accepted in order to protect her family, herself and Ruby.

She filled their mugs and offered him cream and sugar, but he took his black. Warming her hands with the cup, she led him into the den. The Christmas tree lights twinkled, the unopened gifts reminding her how empty the house was without Ruby, how desolate Christmas would be if her sister didn’t come home.

Wind ripped harshly through the eaves of the old house, rattling windowpanes and shutters, adding to her chill. She motioned for him to sit down.

“I read about Ruby’s disappearance,” Gage said. “And I wanted to offer my services.”

“I don’t have much money,” Leah said, lowering her gaze to stare into her mug. “You know Dad died when I was sixteen. He worked as a landscape artist but had no savings to speak of. And Mom was a receptionist at a local insurance company. What little insurance money there was had to go to Mom’s hospital bills.”

“I was sorry to hear about her death,” Gage said, although he hadn’t known Leah’s family very well. “Don’t worry about the money. Solving your case and finding your sister will be good publicity for my firm.”

Anger seeped through her. “This is not about publicity,” she said. “It’s about finding Ruby, Gage.”

His jaw tightened, those dark fathomless eyes raking over her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that money is not an issue here. Finding your sister will be my priority.”

She searched his face. “Why should you care? You haven’t lived in Sanctuary for years.”

He took a sip of coffee. “I had my reasons for staying away.”

She glanced up and saw the strain on his face. She knew he and his brother had had issues and that he hadn’t had a happy home life. The McDermont family had taken him in and Jerry had resented him.